DIR under Technical Diving Specialties

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lv2dive

Formerly known as KatePNAtl
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I'm a Fish!
There may already be a thread related to this, but I couldn't find it... please just point me in the appropriate direction if I've missed it!

I am curious as to why DIR is under Technical Diving Specialities. I mean, obviously, DIR is used FOR cave/tech, but it's my sense that there is a clear movement for DIR concepts not to be LIMITED TO cave/tech, and to be applied in the recreational world. Having the DIR forum under Technical Diving Specialties seems to contradict that.

What made me think of this was that I was diving in Morehead City this weekend with a lot of non-DIR friends, and some of them kept referring to my kit as a "tech" setup. In the sense that I was using an H-valve, ok, maybe, but they would have thought the same even if I had used a single regulator with a long hose and bungied alternate. Anyway, I did explain a bit about why the setup wasn't "tech" per se but the comments just made me look at things a little differently. Then I logged on to SB and realized the DIR section was under Technical, hence this post.
 
Although many who have taken Fundies like to call themselves DIR, none would be allowed to dive with the WKKP until they have gone far beyond that. I think Fundamentals is only the beginning of the DIR journey, not the point at which you can call yourself DIR.
 
"DIR" ain't just for pushing EOL at Wakulla.

As for the first post, you wouldn't believe the number of people of "high-rating" in the industry that call my BP/W a "tech rig", regardless of the diving I'm doing or the length of the hose. Adding the 7' hose only seems to make it worse.

We need the advertising executive who did that job for the Florida Orange Juice Growers Association: "BP/W and 7' hose, it's not just for tech anymore".
 
i believe this forum was under the technical diving forum back in 2003 when i joined -- at that point the only courses GUE offered were T1/T2/C1/C2 and fundies had just been converted from a workshop to a cert course, UTD and even NAUI-Tech didn't exist.
 
We need the advertising executive who did that job for the Florida Orange Juice Growers Association: "BP/W and 7' hose, it's not just for tech anymore".

I'm gonna steal that quote!
 
There has to be a better subheading for it, because it really isn't just for tech anymore as there are far more "recreational" divers using DIR now than ever before.
 
DIR is still developed from protocols produced within the tech diving community, so leaving it here offers the most accurate responses when a recreational diver asks "why?" to a procedure that might not be evident until higher levels of diving. Since there's not enough recreational DIR traffic, it's best suited here IMO. The other issue is that many of us who participate in this forum rarely navigate outside of the technical diving category, so if it were moved to recreational we would never see it.
 
DIR is still developed from protocols produced within the tech diving community, so leaving it here offers the most accurate responses when a recreational diver asks "why?" to a procedure that might not be evident until higher levels of diving. Since there's not enough recreational DIR traffic, it's best suited here IMO. The other issue is that many of us who participate in this forum rarely navigate outside of the technical diving category, so if it were moved to recreational we would never see it.

You make many good points here, but I think the what the OP seems to hint at is that it sends the wrong message, which is that DIR is useful for all diving. Its tricky, because while you are right that is is from the tech community and is best supported by tech/cave divers who are DIR minded, it is also important for outsiders that dont aspire to tech diving to see it as a completely viable recreational diving means.

Im glad the OP brought up the question so decent discussion can take place. And Lamont's answer was pretty informative albeit pithy.
 
I think the DIR under tech for SB is a decent "filter". As mentioned above, it likely keeps some of the key contributors. Once rec divers find it and show interest, they just don’t care where it is and just bookmark it (which i did far before even knowing how to spell tech diving).

If some people already believe a plate/long hose is a tech rig, what are they going to think about the rest of DIR. Might be better to start with some kind of soft DICE sub-forum in the non tech diving SB section before jumping right to DIR.
As a matter of fact, there are a lot of other places within SB or other forum where people discuss dive planning, team, buddy and situation awareness, equipment (BP/W), without the DIR sticker.
 
DIR is still developed from protocols produced within the tech diving community, so leaving it here offers the most accurate responses when a recreational diver asks "why?" to a procedure that might not be evident until higher levels of diving.

Exactly. While there are recreational DIR divers (I'm one on many days), the whole basis and "why" is 9 times out of 10 something that a purely recreational diver wouldn't know about from personal experience yet.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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